Solihull-based off-road automotive specialist Land Rover announced today that an all-new Range Rover -- equipped with the 339PS SDV8 engine-- in tandem with an Airstream 684 Series 2 travel trailer (caravan) has successfully completed a gargantuan 3,676 mile transcontinental road trip -- from Tebay in England’s glorious Lake District to the ski resort of Oukaïmeden in the peaks of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains (and back again) -- in a mere 11 days.
Towing a 2,399kg Airstream 684 Series 2 aluminium travel trailer (the 684 was winner of the Caravan Club Caravan Design Award 3 years running from 2008-2010) the diesel powered Range Rover was often on the go for more than 12 hours a day on every conceivable type of road surface from Spain’s Vías de Gran Capacidad to the vertiginous switchbacks of the High Atlas Mountains. Thus demonstrating in a nutshell why more European Airstream owners choose a Land Rover to tow their iconic Airstream "silver bullet" than any other brand of vehicle. Of course, if you need further proof of Land Rover’s legendary off-road and trailer towing capabilities then you need look no further than the bookshelves at the Land Rover factory which are groaning under the weight of the slew of RV and automotive awards that have been showered on their vehicles since the first Series I Land Rover rolled off the production line back in 1948.
Ben Samuelson, whose firm Samuelson Wylie Associates planned and executed the trip on behalf of Airstream & Company, was awed by the performance of Land Rover’s flagship Range Rover vehicle. "The new Range Rover's towing ability is nothing short of stunning,” said Samuelson in a Land Rover press release. “It pulled the two and a half tonne Airstream like it simply wasn't there.” Samuelson was also thankful for the Range Rover’s Trailer Stability Assist program. “Halfway through Spain, we encountered horrendous side winds, the type that sees articulated trucks tipped onto their side, but the Range Rover's Trailer Stability Assist meant that any sway in the trailer was dealt with before it ever started,” he said. Check out the slideshow for some neat pictures of the road trip.
Price £71,295 and up • Engine: LR-TDV6 3.0 litre (37.7 mpg combined) and LR-SDV8 4.4 litre diesel engine (32.5 mpg combined) or LR-V8 5.0 litre Supercharged Petrol engine (20.5 mpg combined) • Wading Depth 900mm • Length 4999mm Height 1835mm Width (incl. mirrors) 2220mm • Gross Towing Load 3500kg •
Airstream International 684 Series II:
Price: £53,890 ex works or £55,250 with UK on the road package • Shipping Length 8.25m, Width 2.5M OR 2.3M • MTPLM (lower limit) 2399kg (2.3M)/ 2499kg (2.5M) •
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